The Race Equity in Employment Task Force is a new collaborative initiative co-convened by Action for Race Equality and Business in the Community (BITC), and chaired by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. It brings together racial justice experts, charity and business leaders, academics and local and national government officials to tackle disparities in employment in an innovative and collaborative way.
The Task Force will help address longstanding disparities in employment policy and practice, ultimately improving and delivering fairer outcomes for Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage young people. Together, we will provide a strategic roadmap to achieving the systematic change desperately needed to end racial disparities in employment.
The Task Force launched in May 2025.
Read the news release here.
Introducing the Task Force…
In 2024, Action for Race Equality’s flagship employment programme for young Black men, Moving on Up, officially came to an end after 10 years. During that time, the programme supported 250 young men and helped shape conversations on employment disparities.
To mark its conclusion, we published Tackling Ethnic Minority Youth Unemployment: Ten Recommendations for Action — a call to action for policymakers, employers and local leaders based on 10 years of learning. The final recommendation called for the creation of a Race Equity in Employment Task Force designed to influence the government to increase employment opportunities for young Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage people aged 16 to 24.
Racial inequality in employment
Young people from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds still face persistent barriers to good and sustainable employment.
Data shows the difference in the employment rate between white people and people from ethnic minorities was biggest among 16- to 24-year-olds – 58% of white people and 39% for people from ethnic minorities were employed.
From unequal access to apprenticeships, to racial bias in recruitment and low pay — systemic change is urgently needed to address this disparity.
The Race Equity in Employment Task Force will:
- Focus on those groups facing the highest rates of unemployment, underemployment, and low pay.
- Develop evidence-based recommendations to increase employment rates for young people aged 16 to 24 from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds.
- Explore wider entry routes into employment, including apprenticeships and alternative pathways.
The Task Force will also determine the most effective methods for communicating and disseminating its recommendations — and any additional outputs — to government departments, metro mayors, employers, and other key stakeholders.
Current Task Force members
Andy Burnham
Chair of the Task Force, The Mayor of Greater Manchester
Sandra Kerr CBE
Race Equality Director, Business in The Community
Debbie Weekes-Bernard
Deputy Mayor, Communities and Social Justice
Howard Dawber
Deputy Mayor, Business and Chair of London and Partners
We are delighted to be working with Action for Race Equality to establish the Race Equity in Employment Task Force. The Task Force will work together to influence the government to improve access to employment opportunities for Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse young people aged 16 to 24. Business in the Community has been working for 30 years to address the barriers facing ethnically diverse people because we believe that every young person and jobseeker should feel supported and should have a clear pathway into work and fair access to the skills they need to thrive now and in the future, regardless of their background. I am certain that this Task Force will be a vital step in the creation of a fairer and more equal working world for ethnically diverse young people.”
Sandra Kerr CBE, Race Equality Director at Business in the Community (BITC)
Tackling ethnic minority youth unemployment: 10 recommendations paper
Download Action for Race Equality’s paper tackling ethnic minority youth unemployment
This paper shares ten evidence-based recommendations, drawn from ten years of learning through the Moving on Up initiative, to improve employment outcomes for young Black men in London.
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